Fishing rod and/or reel holders are used in a variety of fishing applications, and most often are used in situations where the fisherman wishes to continue fishing while not actually holding the rod. In some instances, this is desirable where prolonged holding of the rod would be exhausting, difficult due to physical infirmities, or otherwise awkward. Often also, a fisherman may desire to fish with multiple rods, but cannot hold or control more than one rod at the same time. In another type of fishing known as trolling, a lure and/or bait is pulled along through the water behind a boat in areas where a particular type of fish is targeted. A rod holder is desirable in this application since the effort required to continually hold the rod is substantial.
A number of holders are known for securing a rod and/or reel in a desired position for fishing. Some of these are as simple as open-ended tubes which receive the handle of the rod, while others employ latches, tabs, and locking rings to prevent the rod from being removed inadvertently by a variety of conditions that are common to fishing. These devices, however, either fail to provide an adequate means of securing both the rod and the reel combination or are constructed so that removal of the rod and/or reed under tension, such as might be encountered upon a strike by a large fish, is difficult, if not impossible.